Official Community Plan

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COURTENAY TODAY

Buildings and landscape are spaces that create the context for public life, private life, and everything in between. They reflect a community’s values as well as its sustainability and resilience. For example, buildings and their occupants consume a great deal of energy. Existing buildings are responsible for 36% of Courtenay's total annual emissions, and are the second greatest source of emissions after transportation. Most of the energy is used for space and water heating – usually the biggest items contributing to energy bills. Landscapes and buildings also consume a lot of fresh water. In order to reduce stress on the Comox Lake water supply during the

summer, the Comox Valley Regional District has established a water consumption target for 2050 that is 50% lower than the 2008 baseline year. Because summer peak water use nearly doubles in Courtenay due to irrigation, water-sensitive landscaping will be required to achieve these targets. At the end of their life buildings can also generate a lot of waste if materials are not disassembled, repurposed, or otherwise diverted from the landfill whenever possible. Estimated at 25% of the total landfill waste stream, reducing the amount of construction and demolition waste is key to extending the life of the landfill and achieving GHG emission targets associated with waste management.

City of Courtenay Official Community Plan